The have been many different types and kinds of valves used to facilitate the controlling of fluid flow in the event of unwanted and undesired excess flow. For example reference may be made to the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 2,215,044; 2,569,316; 2,585,316; 2,949,931; 3,747,616; 4,212,313; 4,245,814; 4,382,449; 4,485,832; 4,565,208; 4,715,394; 4,785,842; 4,844,113; 4,874,012; 5,010,916; 5,052,429; 5,119,841; 5,203,365; 5,409,031 and 5,603,345.
While many of the valves disclosed in the above referenced patent documents may have been satisfactory for some applications, it would he highly desirable to have a new and improved safety excess flow control valve that facilitates low by pass flow control in a relatively inexpensive manner.
Excess flow valves commonly use a spring loaded ball or pintle as a flow closure mechanism. The seat for such valves has typically been a hard metal surface that permits a sizable by-pass flow after valve closure. While such valves may have been acceptable for sizable by pass flows, such values have not been satisfactory for small by pass flows.
Therefore it would be highly desirable to have a new and improved safety excess flow control valve that utilizes a hard metal seat and that facilitates small by-pass flows in a relatively inexpensive manner.